COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (July 19, 2019)
2016 Paralympic Bronze Medalist McKenna Dahl set for her Parapan American Games debut. Photo by DeWitt Photos.
Twelve athletes, including six 2016 Paralympians, have been named to the 2019 U.S. Parapan American Games Team for Shooting.
Shooting sport athletes will compete at the Parapan American Games, August 23-September 1, for the first time in Lima, Peru. This year’s Nationals served as the conclusion of their selection that included any World Shooting Para Sport (WSPS) or USA Shooting matches since January. Athletes were required to achieve two Minimum Qualifying Scores (MQS) in their event to be eligible to compete and Team selection was based on an average of an athlete’s three best scores over the given timeframe.
The roster includes 2016 Paralympic bronze medalist McKenna Dahl (Arlington, Washington) along with fellow rifle Paralympians Jazmin Almlie-Ryan (Houston, Texas) and John Joss (Corsicana, Texas). Dahl earned her medal in Mixed Air Rifle event at the 2016 Games in Rio becoming the first U.S. woman to medal in a shooting event at the Paralympic Games. She’s added smallbore (.22 caliber) training to her routine with the addition of that to the Paralympic program. Joss is the lone athlete to have secured a Paralympic quota to date in R6 event (50-meter Prone Rifle) by virtue of a second-place finish at the 2018 World Shooting Para Sport World Cup in Chateauroux, France.
Depth in Rifle is really starting to develop as witnessed by the emergence of Taylor Farmer (Castalia, Ohio), Stetson Bardfield (Colorado Springs, Colorado) and Kevin Nguyen (Westminster, California). These three athletes have proven themselves in competition since 2016 and will look to kick-start their run to a 2020 Paralympic Team push in Lima. Farmer earned Paralympic Athlete of the Year honors in 2018 for USA Shooting. Nick Beach (Dresden, Ohio) and Len Esparza (Fort Collins, Colorado) will make their first formal Team USA appearance as well.
With international competitors taking part in the recent USA Shooting Nationals, USAMU soldier-athlete Nguyen finished second in the 50m Prone Rifle event (SH1 R6) after finishing third in Prone Air Rifle (SH1 R3) as well. Dahl also earned a silver medal and got to share the podium with her rifle counterpart Bardfield in the 50m Prone Rifle events (SH2 R9). Earlier in the week, Dahl also got a bronze medal in Standing Air Rifle (SH2 R4). Other highlights included a silver medal by Almlie-Ryan in the Mixed Prone Rifle event (SH2 R5).
Marco De La Rosa and Tricia supplying the pistol power for the Parapan American Games. Photo courtesy of DeWitt Photos.
Joining 2016 Paralympic Pistol Team members Tricia Downing (Denver, Colorado), Mike Tagliapietra (Fond du Lac, Wisconsin) and Marco De La Rosa (San Antonio, Texas) on this year’s Parapan Am squad will be Aaron Causey (Riverside, Alabama). In Paralympic pistol action at Nationals, De La Rosaearned a bronze medal in Air Pistol while Tagliapietra earned two bronze medals in Sport and Free Pistol, respectively.
2019 U.S. Parapan American Games RIFLE TEAM
McKenna Dahl
Taylor Farmer
Len Esparza
Jazmin Almlie-Ryan
Stetson Bardfield
John Joss
Kevin Nguyen
Nick Beach
2019 U.S. Parapan American Games PISTOL TEAM
Aaron Causey
Tricia Downing
Mike Tagliapietra
Marco De La Rosa
*All Parapan American Games roster nominations are pending approval of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee.